Puppy Love
by ZenAngelSan
Summary: COMPLETED! He realized fate had hated him when his rival started dating his crush, but destiny had something else in store for him as he met a fairy by chance. KahoxLen
1. Chapter 1: Accident

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro

Chapter One: Accident

A figure sighed as he placed his violin away from his neck. He brushed his light blue hair away from his frustrated face. He sat back down and placed his head on his hands. It was all over. Today, Hino Kahoko herself had announced that she and Tsuchiura Ryoutaro were officially dating. He placed his violin delicately back in its case and started to walk home.

It was sunset, not much people were left in the campus. He stopped beneath the fairy statue and slumped back against it. He didn't care who saw him, not that anybody did. A light figure came crashing down to him, suddenly. "Wha-?"

A tiny voice erupted from the figure, "H-help me!" Len was stunned even more and he held the tiny figure by his wing. "You're…" he started before he had a handful of it again as he noticed the tweeting of a sparrow. It flew away when Len moved.

Len held it by the wings once again as it struggled, "Hey, you're the fairy of this academy…" Lili widened his eyes and he gave Len a cheery smile, "You can see me. No da!"

"Yeah, so what?"

"I thought only Hino Kahoko can see me. No da!"

His mood dampened more when the little fairy said her name. Lili continued its dance of joy and finally stopped to introduce itself, "I'm Lili, the music fairy and you're Tsukimori Len. No da." Len narrowed his eyes and picked his violin up before standing up, "I'm leaving…" he stated.

Lili tugged on his sleeve as he took his first step. "Wait!" Len stopped and turned around, gripping him with his hand. With a vein clearly popping on his temple, he looked at Lili. "What?" he asked him angrily. Lili flew away from his hand and checked his bent wand. He looked angrily at Len, "Look at what you did with my wand. No da!" He waved the wand in front of Len for emphasis. Lili glared at Len and prepared to leave with the usual waving when he accidentally pointed it to Len instead. "Huh…?"

A cloud of smoke and sparkle surrounded him and Len noticed himself growing smaller and smaller until he was on all four paws. He felt something moving behind him, his body temperature suddenly rose and why did he have the desire to take his tongue out and pant?

Lili clutched his yellow hair as he looked at Len or better yet the creature before him. If it wasn't growling snarling at him or the fact that it was Tsukimori Len, Lili might have thought it was cute. Its pointy ears were erect and alert; its fangs were bare, fur unusual color of blue, eyes gold and a very tiny body with a long tail.

He was about to argue. Len spoke, but instead he barked.

Confused, he barked again and again and finally he stopped to lie down on the cool floor. He looked at Lili from below, glaring at him. Lili scratched his head sheepishly and told him, "I must have accidentally turned you into a dog…" He growled. "Don't worry I'll change you back. No da!" he said warily. He waved his wand and was about to hit him with it when that same sparrow came back and flew to catch him. Lili ran away with a slight scream.

Len barked angrily, "Bark (You), bark (Come), bark (Back), bark! (Here!)" He whimpered instinctively when he heard the loud clap of thunder. It echoed in its ears. _'So this is what it feels like hearing three times the human can.' _ Len narrowed his eyes, _'I'm going to get that fairy when I get back to normal.'_ He slumped on the floor underneath the big Lili statue.

He heard voices approaching and quickly looked back. However, he didn't see anyone. He whined, _'If I ever get back to normal that is.' _Rain poured in, he growled inaudibly. He placed his head in between his two paws. Fate hated him, but destiny was about to change that.

He opened his eyes and found himself in a different setting. He shook his head slightly. _"I must have dozed off…" _He yawned and finally noticed the fact that he was on a warm bed in a dark room. He was dry and in fact he smelled quite nice. Almost as nice as a girl. The door opened and his first instinct was to bark and growl at the intruder even though he was the intruder. _"Holy cow, I'm becoming more and more like a dog." _

"Easy there." A gentle voice came as a hand tried to reach out to him. Len backed away; it was strange that the voice sounded very familiar. The hand approached him nearer and before he knew it…he was backed against the wall. He whimpered slightly when the hand was over his head. The hand petted him gently, calming him down more than he could possibly imagine.

"Now wasn't that so bad?" The voice cooed, making him tense slightly but didn't last long. The hand continued to stroke his blue fur. He was even rolling on his back. After a while, the petting stopped as the voice announced, "I forgot to open the lights. I'll be back in a moment."

He sat up and yawned slightly as moments later, light came from the ceiling. He yelped lightly at the brightness, but later the felling took flight. And a figure went and carried him, "You're so cute." Len blinked slightly and looked up at the figure's face; he blushed a bright red. He came face to face with Kahoko.

Kahoko smiled warmly at him and told him, "You seem to be a stray. I'll keep you for the meantime. You sure are a cute little boy." Len gulped, he was lucky she didn't know just yet. She placed him down on her pink sheets again. He looked at her as she came eye to eye with him.

She folded her arms and placed her head on top. She seemed to be thinking. Len looked around Kahoko's room. Her bed was located near the mahogany door. A desk was located beside the bed and a small vanity mirror was placed on the wall. Another door was located opposite the bed which he supposed was her closet. Her violin case was placed on the floor.

He looked over at the girl. He was surprised when he saw a dreamy look on her face. His ears dropped down to his head. _"She's probably thinking about Tsuchiura…" _He whined slightly, drawing her attention. She blushed delicately, "Sorry about that." She scratched him behind his ear.

"Now your name will be…" That dreamy smile appeared on her face as she patted his head. He would cringe if his name was related somewhere near Tsuchiura's name. "…Ren." He blinked twice before looking at her, a surprised look on his face. She smiled, "Ren. That will your new name."

She stretched, revealing the large shirt she wore and a pair of light shorts. She carried him slightly and placed him beside her head. She bid him goodnight and slowly she drifted to sleep. Len or Ren looked at her peaceful face, pondering over his new name. _"Could it be that somehow? Nah, probably somewhere near HIS name, but…there isn't any hope anymore, right?" _With that train of thought, he fell asleep.

Author: My second chaptered story after "Their Relationship" and one-shot sequel, "Sunrise", wow, a little slow. I probably won't be able to update this as quickly as "Their Relationship", because classes here in the Philippines are starting. I'll even be lucky if I can update this once a week. So sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors and please review. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2: In House Mischief

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro.

Chapter 2: In House Mischief

The first thing that Len heard as Ren was a scream that tripled in his sensitive ears. He woke up with a start as he saw a frantic Kahoko running here and there. He winced when she started screaming, "I'm late! I'm hair raisingly late!" Finally, she noticed Ren. "Oh, good morning, Ren." She told him as she scratched him behind the ear, he growled in content.

She checked her watch again and quickly, she grabbed her bag and violin. She bid him goodbye and left her room. Ren could hear her footsteps stomping and curiously, he followed. Unfamiliar using his four limbs, he tried to get out of bed and instead fell flat on his snout. He tripped several times, but he was finally able to reach the front door. His ears touched his head once more as he saw Tsuchiura waiting for Kahoko on the porch and they were already leaving.

Ren's ears perked up, _"School? Oh, no. That's right, I do have classes today." _He paced cautiously around the house. _"What should I do? I haven't even notified Mom and Dad, not that I can." _He sat down, panting. _"I'll have to chase that fairy when I have the chance to change me back." _He heard a pair of footsteps as they came down the stairs. It was Kahoko's mother.

"Oh? You must be Kaho's new pet." She neared him and what surprised him the most was the fact that his body moved back on its own. "Don't be frightened." Her hand reached for him as she gently patted his head. "Kaho was right, you do have a strange color of fur and those eyes are interesting as well. She didn't make a mistake when she said that you were also cute."

"I've got to get you some water and food. I'll drop by the pet shop as well." She said to herself as she whistled off. _"Now, I can see where Kahoko got her clueless personality. She makes the impression that bringing in a stray is one of the most normal things in the world." _ She reappeared with a bowl of water in hand and quickly left him as the phone rang.

Ren lapped up the water and after a few tries, he managed to get a decent drink. He pushed the bowl to the kitchen floor which was just opposite the living room, not wanting to leave a mess in the living room as he had always been a neat freak. He noticed Mrs. Hino chattering on the phone and didn't seem to notice him when he passed by. _"All girls of all ages must be the same." _He once again had difficulty walking up the stairs and when he reached the top, he collapsed on the cool marbled floor. _"This doggy business is hard. How do other dogs live like this?" _He shook it off and wearily reached Kahoko's sister's room.

He looked around, thanking the Gods that he wasn't color blind like most people say about dogs. He noticed that the room was vacant and that pictures were plastered on one side of the four walls of the room. Several pictures were about Kahoko or their mom, but most were about the sister.

He wandered further inside. It was almost similar to Kahoko's room except that the bed sheets were color yellow and that her vanity apartment was much bigger. He noticed that a bottle of ink had fallen from the table. Clearly not liking it, he reached it and tried to put it upright with his two front paws. It didn't work and in the process, he fell with a thud.

He whined, _"This is harder than I thought." _He tried to upright the bottle with his teeth, but it didn't seem to work either. He got a sore fang and a blue spot on his pink nose, but it didn't bother him like it should. An idea then struck him as he swung his tail. _"That felt very weird…"_ He shook it off and swung his tail as it smashed softly against the bottle.

The ink bottle moved slightly. He smiled inwardly as his tail shook side to side. _"When dogs are happy, they wag their tails." _He remembered reading._ "Feels weird."_ He swung it again and again until it was beside the leg of the table. With that, he used his now blue snout to place it upright. This time it did go upright. He barked happily. _"Wha…?"_

He blushed under his thick fur. _"Very embarrassing…" _He began to walk away but little did he know that he was leaving a trail of blue paw prints while he was walking all over the room. After examining the place, he left with only slightly visible tracks along the way. He went back down to the kitchen, wanting to familiarize himself to the new surroundings.

He saw food and water laid out in a bowl for him. It was made out of brown bits of food and the texture seemed rough. He tested one as he tried to grab it with his paw. The bit just scurried away into a deeper portion of the bowl. He growled, _"I'd have to even do this without my hands or paws?" _He examined the bowl again, _"How do dogs even look at this grub?" _ His small stomach growled and hesitantly he took his first bite.

It had him smitten as he ate another and another and a whole mouthful as finally it was finish. It stunned him to no end, _"How? What?"_ He licked the crumbs clean from his face, _"I want more…" _He lapped the water thirstily and started to sniff for the source. He's conclusions came to the small pantry room beside the counter. It was slightly open, allowing him easier access.

He yelped lightly when he felt the sack fell on him. _"This isn't quite right…" _He tried to wheeze his tiny body out of the heavy sack and managed to do so only to hit the bottom cabinet, _"Ouch." _He turned around and tried to enumerate what had happened:

1. He was hungry; 2. He looked at the food; 3. He ate it and actually **liked** it; 4. He looked for more and used his nose; 5. He tried to get the sack; 6. It fell on him and 7. Everything was scattered on the floor.

"_I better leave." _He then walked out and he managed to get up the stairs and this time it was a lot easier, but he was still panting. He went into Kahoko's room. The familiar scent lingered about and he noticed a pink notebook on the table and he used the chair to heave himself up, but as his upper body hang on to the flat portion of the chair, his hind legs wouldn't go up and he fell to the floor once again.

He shook his head and scrunched his pink nose in annoyance, _"Alright, let's go again."_ He thought as he pounced on the chair.

Hino Kahoko sighed as she tapped the pencil against her red hair, "The equation of x +y…" she mumbled to herself as she stared at her Math test paper. The clock on the side of their class room was ticking away as it stated that there was only 4 minutes before dismissal and she has yet to finish her Math test.

Meanwhile, the little fairy, Lili was in search of Kahoko as he flew through the General Education classrooms. He spotted her taking her Math test as she seemed to be chewing on the end of her pencil. He shook his head; he should tell her soon.

Kahoko reluctantly gave her test paper to the collector as he walked by. She knew she was going to flunk that she just knew it. She noticed Tsuchiura looking her way, worriedly. She smiled lightly and looked out of the window, propping her head on her hand. She hadn't run into Tsukimori for the whole day. Popping that thought, she shook her head. "I like Tsuchiura-kun, right?" she didn't notice the fairy flying just outside her classroom.

Lili approached her cautiously. "Just a little closer…" he mumbled as he carefully slid the door open when suddenly the bell rang. He screamed lightly as he was run over by a stampede of students. He was left unconscious on the ground.

Ren yelped as he made another failed attempt. He was at least able to get on the chair. The only problem was the high table and the fact that the chair was pushed out to far… He wagged his bottom lightly as he jumped onto the table with determination.

Kahoko sneezed lightly as a cold draft entered. Tsuchiura offered his coat to her in which she gratefully took. Hoping to start a conversation, Tsuchiura asked, "What happened to the little pup you took in yesterday?" She turned around and told him, "He's just so adorable and I called him Ren." He frowned, "Doesn't that sound suspiciously like Tsukimori's name?" She paused and sheepishly grinned, "Yeah, it does a little."

"I still don't think that it was a good idea to bring a stray into your house." He told her, putting an arm around her waist. She flinched slightly, but relaxed a second later. They were now nearing her house. "How did you fare in the Math test?" Tsuhciura asked out of the blue.

"Don't even ask." She mumbled. And they reached the porch to her house. "See you tomorrow, Tsuchiura-kun." She smiled. He suddenly kissed her on the cheek. She simply blushed and retreated. His mood dampened, _'Why can't she call me Ryoutaro and why did she run off?' _He watched her retreating figure safely enter the house before walking away.

Ren slumped on top of the table, not only was that tiring but painful as well. He winced when he tried to swing his tail. _'Oh well, now let's see what that pink notebook is.' _But before he could investigate the pink notebook, he noticed the two figures standing. He growled when he saw Tsuchiura's arm around Kahoko's waist.

They seemed to stop and when he had kissed her, Ren almost pounced himself on the window as unknown jealousy welled up inside of him. He did bark loudly before he realized what he had done. He ducked out of sight paws on his eyes before distracting himself with the bright pink notebook on the table. He was now very curious as he could see there was a lock on it. _'Could it be…?' _He crawled slowly almost afraid that it would move.

'_What just happened?!' _Kahoko asked herself as she slumped against the front door. Tsuchiura Ryoutaro had just kissed her. He was her boyfriend already, for Pete's sake! She decided not to think about it and just find for an excuse later on then she

Kahoko stood up still wondering why she behaved that way. She dropped her bag on the floor when she came across the kitchen. Her mother didn't seem to notice the place as she was still busy on the phone. She crept out of her sight and rushed to her room. _'Ren!' _

Ren on the other hand had his nose on the lock. _'It smells of rust and metal…'_ he scrunched his nose. He hated it. He tried pawing it but it still wasn't any use. He just needed to find the key before… Tmp, tmp, tmp! _'Uh oh.' _

"Ren, look at the mess you did in the kitchen!" Kahoko said, slamming the door to her room. He winced at the tone of her voice. Her look softened slightly before looking at him angrily yet again. "I'll bring you down myself to let you look." She grabbed him and her hand was around his stomach.

When they reached the kitchen, she pointed to the scattered food, the toppled water dish and the destroyed sack. He heard her sigh before putting him back down on the cold floor. He heard her mumble as she got a broom, "Like he could understand me…I'd better clean this mess up."

She swept the tied a knot on the sack before placing it back in the laundry and she started to sweep the floor. All Ren could do was sit there and look at her work. He hated staying like this doing nothing. He heard her put the broom back in a closet and took out a rag to wipe the floor. He tugged on it and managed to get a small piece. Kahoko looked at him curiously.

He began to use his paw to at least help her and with this, she smiled. She carried him and rubbed his nose with hers. Ren, under his thick fur, blushed. "Thanks for helping, Ren. I'll clean this up and speaking of clean, I think you need a bath." She said as she held him away to look at him.

His pink nose was tainted with blue ink and his fur had crumbs all over. She smiled at him, giggling slightly. "I'll be done in just a sec. Wait here." She commanded before wiping the floor slightly then placing the rag and bucket back into the closet. "Now, let's get you cleaned." She held him delicately before going upstairs into the bathroom. A small basin had been prepared and dog shampoo stood beside it

'_She really did have everything prepared…_' Ren was surprised when Kahoko suddenly lowered him into the small basin and filled it in with a shower. He yelped slightly from the cold water and relaxed again when it turned hot. "Sorry." She told him as she left him to raise her sleeves. Ren let out his tongue and started to pant. He glanced at the shampoo. Now if he could only reach the shampoo, he can then take a bath.

"Ok, Ren bath time!" She held the shampoo and a yellowish liquid squirted out from it as it squirted into her open palm. _'Wait don't tell me that she's going to…'_ before he could finish the thought Kahoko was already scrubbing him. He whimpered inaudibly. He hated others doing things he could do himself. Well, not in this case, but you get the point.

But as Kahoko continued to scrub him, he gradually enjoyed it. His ears dropped down and touched his head indicating he was relaxed. Kahoko giggled slightly but continued scrubbing, and then she took out the shower again and washed the suds off of him. She dried him off before settling him outside. "There now you're all clean. I'd better change before sis comes back."

Ren scooted out before she took off her blouse, but he did get a tiny peek on her upper undergarment. _'Oh my goodness, I'm turning into a pervert.' _He blushed again as he patiently waited outside her room.

Meanwhile…

Lili rubbed his swollen bruise as it formed a bump on top of his blonde hair. "It hurts no da." He looked around, what was he doing in front of this classroom again?

Ren's ears picked up the soft purring of a car came into the driveway. It was Kahoko's sister no doubt. Kahoko's door creaked open and so did the front door. Her sister announced, "I'm home!" before she took off her boots. Kahoko smiled slightly, "She's back." Kahoko was wearing a yellow summer dress. Ren wagged his tail lightly.

Kahoko's sister went up the stairs and took one good look at Ren. "You are cute." She told him, smiling warmly. She glanced up at Kahoko again, "Make sure he stays out of trouble, alright?" Kahoko nodded before grabbing him and returning him into her room. "I'd better get started with homework." Kahoko told herself before rummaging through her bag.

A small paper fell out and Ren growled as he saw the picture of Tsuchiura Ryoutaro on the glossy picture. He just wanted to chew his head off even if it was only a picture. He snarled at it menacingly, only for it to sound like a tiny growl. Kahoko smiled at him, stroking his furry head before grabbing the picture from him.

Ren suddenly, out of instinct, pounced onto the picture and bit the picture. Kahoko frowned disapprovingly. "Ren, let go!" she warned. Ren didn't listen and the more Kahoko tugged it the more he hanged on to it until… RIP!

Tsuchiura Ryoutaro from a nearby neighborhood held his throat. His mother saw him and asked, "Is something wrong with your throat, Ryou?" He smiled at his mother, "Nothing." His mother walked away. Ryoutaro held his neck again, _'I swore I felt like my neck was just ripped.'_

"Ren!" both Hino sisters cried as one held the broken picture angrily while the other pointed to her room. Ren himself beneath his paws, his ears dropped down. As the sisters began scolding him, he told himself, _'Maybe they should have rephrased that quote into curiosity killed the dog…'_

Author: Waaah! I'm sorry for the super late update! Our exams just rolled in and I didn't have enough time to finish it. Sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors and hope you enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3: Missed

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not La Corda D' Oro.

Chapter 3: Missed

It was dawn when Ren woke up. He glanced at the sleeping Kahoko before jumping off the bed. He landed gracefully. His tail wagged; it had taken him only a week, yes, ONLY a week to learn what dogs usually do. Part of it was thanks to his human self and part was because Kahoko often brought him to dog parks to walk him.

He stretched his upper paws forward and his hind legs on tiptoes. Before he knew it, he was flat on the floor. _'Okay, so maybe not the stretching part just yet.'_ He told himself. He shook his body and padded towards the table again.

His snout pointed towards the table as the pink notebook was laid out again on the table, but Kahoko's school books were scattered across, mixing smells mostly of fruit-scented ink and paper. Lately, he has been constantly annoyed of an unfamiliar smell surrounding Kahoko.

It smelled of dirt, a strange, but natural woody smell and something he couldn't quite put. He knew that the dirt came from the ground. He cringed visibly when he knew that the woody smell happened to be Tsuchiura Ryoutaro. Ryoutaro had bumped into Kahoko during one of their walks and he happened to smell him. Ugh.

The strange smell he couldn't quite comprehend, however, was more dominant than that of Tsuchiura. It was familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. He shook his head just as Kahoko woke up from her slumber. She yawned and stretched her arms. Ren was by her feet as dog instincts took over him. Kahoko smiled and groggily told him, "Morning, Ren." He barked and panted as Kahoko stroke his furry body, "Oh, you're so cute!" she cooed as she rubbed his belly.

Ren stood up and shook his body as Kahoko walked towards the bathroom to change. Today was a Saturday and that meant their usual early walk. Ren sat patiently by the door as he yawned lightly. Kahoko reemerged from the bathroom wearing a yellow blouse with a ribbon on top and a pair of white pants paired with a pair of white sandals.

Ren noticed that her outfit was a little too fancy for a simple walk in the park, but thought otherwise as she carried him and ran down the mahogany staircase. She bid good morning to her mom and sister who were eating in the kitchen and she hurriedly grabbed Ren's light blue, leather leash and a matching leather collar.

She nearly strangled him as she hastily placed the leash around his neck and with a yelp from Ren as Kahoko tugged hard on his leash, she yelled goodbye to her family. Her mother shook her head as Kahoko's sister sighed and took a sip from her coffee, "I pity the poor dog…"

"Kaho-chan, you're late!" Hihara Kazuki whined as he flapped his arms like a little kid would. Kahoko clapped her hands together, still holding Ren's leash, before she uttered her apology. Yunoki Azuma interrupted as he said, "Please calm down, Hihara. There's a few good minutes before the show starts." Ren titled his head, _'Show? There was a show today?'_

He pawed Kahoko's pants as his golden eyes seemed to question her. She squealed lightly and bent down to pet him, "Today's Hamai Misa's concert and her special guest today is her husband." She told him as she continued to stroke his fur. _'In short, my parents are having a concert…now I remember; they were mentioning it before I went to school that same morning when I became a dog.'_ He whimpered, _'My parents must be very worried.' _

"Oh, Hino. You brought Ren with you today?" A deep voice inquired and it made Kahoko turn around and Ren more irritated. _'Of course, he would be here. Tough luck…'_ Hihara asked, "Huh? Who's Ren?" Kahoko stood up and pointed down to where she holding the leash. "Eh? A dog? How cute!" he exclaimed as he quickly scooped Ren in his arms. Ren pointed his snout at Hihara and sniffed at him, _'Another dog instinct, distinguishing a person's smell.' _Hihara smelled like fresh cut grass.

Kahoko let go of Ren's leash as Hihara began showing Ren to all that joined them. Renmemorized the scents of the people he knew. _'Yunoki-senpai smells like a rose's dew. Fuyuumi-san smells like peaches and Keiichi-kun smells like pine.'_ Ren jumped out of Hihara's arms with him exclaiming his surprise. Ren went over to Kahoko and she picked him up. He sniffed and took in her scent, _'Strawberries with raspberries… interesting.'_

"Okay, let's go, gang!" the green-haired trumpeter cheerfully exclaimed as he started to march. Shimizu walked along Kahoko as he sleepily asked, "Hino-senpai, is it okay to bring Ren to the concert?" He stroked Ren's fur as he said this. Kahoko nodded to him, "Since it's outside, the park permitted pets to be allowed." And Shimizu nodded.

The concert as usual was smashing success. '_Mom's melody seems to be a little off though…_' Ren noted as the group made their towards Hamai Misa's dressing room. He could hear from a mile away his father's voice inside and his mother's worried one, then a moment of silence before Tsuchiura knocked on the door.

Ren jumped down from Kahoko's arms as the door opened; he was anxious. He caught sight of the embrace and a tear rolling down Misa's cheek before she pulled away from her husband. She placed on a smile as her husband looked at her worriedly. Before he could go nearer to them, he felt a pair of small hands grabbing him and along with the voice of Kahoko saying, "Ren, you shouldn't do that!"

She bowed politely before the couple as Misa chuckled slightly. "That concert was amazing!" Hihara exclaimed, startling Ren as he winced. Misa approached him and gave him a gentle pat on his furry head. She giggled as Ren licked her hand, "I see Ren is his name. Could I hold him for a bit?" Kahoko nodded before handing Ren over to Misa and he began to wag his tail as his father chuckled as well.

But then, Misa frowned slightly as she continued to stroke Ren's furry body. Len's father placed his hands on Misa's shoulders. Suddenly, the atmosphere dropped as everyone's mood dampened. "Have you found him yet?" Kahoko asked, silence in the room interrupted. Misa hugged Len lightly before shaking her head. Her husband pulled her into an embrace, Ren still in her arms.

"I wonder what happened to that guy…he's usually too proud to run away." Tsuchiura remarked, while Ren growled at him. Kahoko shushed him, she made a move to grab him, but she stopped when Misa started crying. "Len…Len…" she whispered, trembling slightly. The only male violinist pulled her closer into his embrace. Ren knew he had worried his mother too much, _'Stupid fairy…'_

Ren pointed his snout at her and licked her cheek, something he couldn't do as a human. Misa jolted in surprise as Ren continued to lick her face until she began to laugh, "That tickles..." she giggled. Her husband gave a sigh of relief as she gently pulled out from his embrace. She giggled more as Ren gave a bark of joy, "You are simply adorable."

'_Mother smells like roses.' _Ren concluded before he was shown to his father, _'Father smells like freshly baked bread.'_ Misa turned to everyone, "I'm so sorry you had to see that. Let me make it up to you, so please come to over to our house for some tea and cookies. Also, Hino-san, please bring over Ren. He might be able to find some clues about Len when we search his room." Ren widened his eyes and began to panic as he whined slightly, _'Not my room!'_ Everyone turned to look at Ren, who finally stayed put when Misa placed him down. He shook his fur slightly before he sat and barked, tail wagging. _'I hope this would make them distracted…'_ Almost everyone around the room squealed or chuckled in delight.

"We better get going." Yunoki announced and Misa reminded them again, "My house at 1'o clock in the afternoon." Ren sighed, _'Great…'_

As everyone began walking home, Tsuchiura suddenly remarked, "You know, for a dog, he's pretty cool." Everyone turned to stare at him in question. "I mean being able to change the atmosphere of that room." Everyone else nodded or gave a shout of approval. "So even if his name does sound like Tsukimori's, his attitude definitely isn't like Ren's. I mean, can you imagine Tsukimori doing those things?" There was a short pause before everyone erupted in laughter. _'Oi, Oi.'_ Ren growled, clearly annoyed.

'Lucky for Tsuchiura his house was near or I would have bitten his butt right then and there.' Ren huffed as lied down on Kahoko's bed. Kahoko had just finished her bath and was hunched over her desk, writing again. Ren yawned slightly before padding towards the side of Kahoko's pink pillow and snuggling beside it. He was lulled to sleep by the scent on her pillow.

Kahoko slammed the book shut and locked it with a sigh. She turned to see Ren already peacefully asleep and giggled as she saw his nose wiggling slightly. Kahoko sighed again and approached her bed and pulled the blue covers, 'Blue, reminds me of Tsukimori-kun. His ocean colored hair, his cold gold eyes, his cool voice and his pale skin.' Her heart thumped louder, 'Wha-what?' she shouted in her thoughts. "Maybe it's just because I miss him." She told herself before finally dozing off.

Author: That took me longer than expected…too long. Sorry, sorry for the late update. I'll try and update faster next time. Sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors. Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Oh and do review...


	4. Chapter 4: Trouble

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro.

Chapter 4: Trouble

It was a bright and warm morning. The birds were out playing and the squirrels were out playing. With a cool breeze, it seemed a perfect and peaceful morning. Well, can't say the same for the Hino household though.

"MOM! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!!!!" Kahoko shouted as she hurriedly descended the stairs, eating the toast and drinking the orange juice her mother held out before she ran out of her house in a mad dash. Her older sister yawned as she smirked lightly, still in her beige pajamas. "Why aren't you dressed up yet, dear? It's quite late already." Their mother asked, as she placed the glass cup in the sink.

"It's okay. I made all the clocks in the house 30 minutes earlier, so Kaho can get to school on time." She replied as she took a carton of milk out from their refrigerator. Their mother giggled as she continued to wash the dishes. She dried them out before wiping her hands in a nearby rag and she whistled. No response.

"You're calling Ren? He doesn't respond to a whistle." Kaho's sister told her, "But, seriously, where could he be? He usually sleeps on the couch in the living room."

Kahoko sighed as she placed her bag on her desk before collapsing on her chair. Mio and Nao laughed as they told her the time when she came in a little too early. "Stupid sister…" she sighed dejectedly as she prepared to open her bag before there was a sudden movement and a bark. Mio and Nao said in unison, "Her bag is moving!" as Kahoko opened her bag quickly and Ren's head popped out as he took a long breath, _'That's the last time I do something this stupid.'_

"Ren?! Why are you here?" Kahoko exclaimed before Mio picked him up and gave him a tight hug, "He's soo cute!" Ren yelped, _'Let go of me!' _he hacked a little after Mio finally placed him down. Nao leaned her head on her hand, watching Kahoko scan the empty classroom and finally she sighed, "We might as well place your dog on the school grounds, then just find for him later. Dogs aren't allowed inside the classroom." Kahoko nodded before scooping Ren in her arms and running quickly downstairs.

Ren sighed as Kahoko placed him down, petted him slightly before going back to her classroom just before a few more people came in. He slumped on the cool ground, _'That girl should try for a marathon.'_ He shook his blackish blue fur before padding off on the school grounds. _'Now to find for that fairy…' _His best bet was to find him by the statue, but he seems to be somewhere else.

Lili, on the other hand, was in fairy world. After he had kept Len's school bag and violin, he had concluded that he should find a cure for Len before he snaps Lili's head off. He was currently in the library, flying around furiously trying to find for a book. It had been so long since he returned to his hometown, so he had a hard time finding for a book and when he eventually found one, it had been a very thick, dull book with words so little you had to use a magnifying glass to read them. 'This is going to take longer than I expected, No da…"

Ren finally slumped on the roof floor, panting with his pink tongue stinking out. Stupid fairy… he whined in dog language. The sun was already setting and he could hear that Kahoko was practicing her violin in one of the practice rooms. He had somehow memorized the sound of her violin. Each and every violin made a distinct sound that made them their own and Kahoko's violin sounded light and sweet. He shook of the tiredness and padded down the stairs.

Tsuchiura Ryoutaro was grumbling as he checked his ankle again. Thanks to that he wouldn't be able to play soccer for that season; he was grumbling again and now limping towards the stairs when he saw dark blue in front of him…Ren… Wait…he wasn't going crazy too, right? He slapped his dark skin with a hand and shook his head furiously, green hair messing up. When he looked again, sure enough Ren was sitting there staring at him. He could swear that there was a hint of smugness in his big gold eyes, but that was impossible.

With a slight huff from Ren, Tsuchiura scooped up the little pup in one big hand effortlessly and hobbled back to his original destination, the music rooms where he was supposed to meet Kahoko. He tried to walk normally, hoping that Kahoko wouldn't notice it as he padded softly through the long hall of music rooms and he stopped at the room Kahoko had reserved for the day, but stopped shortly when he noticed that she was only standing still, her violin clasped in one hand and the bow in another.

Ren could've sworn that she was crying as crystal like droplets were momentarily seen through the glass.

Kahoko looked at the lone empty desk in front of her. Just a moment ago, she had been walking home with Tsuchiura. She had been rather surprised of his ankle and fervently hoped that it would get better soon. She was even more surprised when she saw Ren, whining in his arms, rather hand. As they were walking home, Tsuchiura limping while Kahoko helped him, she realized that she forgot a book in her classroom.

Tsuchiura offered to take Ren home and she hesitantly agreed. She, after all, really needed that book; there was a big test the next day. She had already gotten her book, and then she came across the borderline between the Music Department and General Ed. She wondered if anybody took some notes or left some things for Tsukimori. She decided to check it out.

Most of the students had already went home considering the time just a few people were left as they loitered around the halls not really minding her although some did stare at her. Then she came across his classroom and his desk. Some of the students' desks were filled with scribbles usually music notes or just doodles. His was as clean as a blank paper, not a trace of anybody occupying it either.

A thin sheet of dust was on the top desk and no traces of books, paper or pencils were inserted in the desk; while other students' were jam packed with it. It was blank…but she was sure it was her desk. When she was out with the cold, Mio or Nao would always leave her class notes and the assigned homework. Tsukimori Len didn't have any friends and always kept everything to himself…no wonder and yet, why did she feel like crying? Why does she pity him when he brought it on to himself? Why was she crying for him? Thoughts like these swirled around her head as she daintily traced her

It was finally Saturday and they were all due to visit the Tsukimori family. Kahoko glumly woke up at dawn, while Ren was curled up near her cotton pillow. Her eyes were red from crying all night. She was glad she didn't wake up her puppy. She grabbed her pink diary and placed it on her mahogany desk before she sat down, quietly pulling the chair.

She started scribbling,

_Yesterday, I started to cry for Tsukimori-kun and surprisingly, I can't stop crying. I skipped dinner last night and now, I'm really hungry and worried. We haven't heard anything from Tsukimori-kun since he disappeared. He doesn't call his parents and _

Here she paused slightly as she wiped her nose with a hand and began writing again.

_I found out that he doesn't have any friends, but why should I be concerned with this? We're not even friends, so why? Why am I so worried? Why do I care so much? Why do I feel like crying right now, even as I write this…what is wrong with me? I miss him and yet it feels more than that at the same time. _

She paused again as she flipped through the pages of her diary. For the past week, she had been only writing about Tsukimori, she noticed and Tsuchiura, her boyfriend, was only mentioned when he asked her out. She shook her head and wrote something about him.

_Tsuchiura-kun broke his ankle today at practice and he took Ren home for me, because I had to go to school and get a book, but then I sidetracked and found out another thing about Tsukimori-kun. His desk was really clean and_

She closed her diary and locked it up. She was writing about Tsukimori-kun again. She placed her diary between some books on a shelf and the key she placed it inside her accessory box. She sighed and headed towards the bathroom, hoping to cool herself down.

Ren woke up to the sound of an opening shower. He could smell a fruity scent coming from the bathroom and ink somewhere else. He didn't like the idea of Tsuchiura bringing him home, especially since he brought him back to Kahoko's home by carrying Ren through his collar. He placed his head on his paws and breathed Kahoko's scent through her pillow. He wondered…what took Kahoko so long yesterday?

By nine o'clock, everybody was assembled before the Tsukimori mansion. Ren was being pulled on a leash that Kahoko's sister bought for him. He was seated before the huge gates of his family's mansion. '_Home sweet home…_' He sighed as Hamai Misa opened the doors to welcome her guests. And all walked towards the house.

Hamai Misa's husband was waiting inside the living room as they entered; Len's grandparents were there as well as they all stood up to greet their guests. Misa had allowed them to explore the house and even to go into Len's room, much to Ren's dismay. She dangled a key in front of Kahoko that allowed her to unlock Len's room, while she made snacks.

Kahoko trotted upstairs with two curious green haired men and a very hesitant Ren. She anxious and curious at the same time, wondering what was inside the aloof azure-haired man's room. She unlocked it and with her heart thumping like crazy, opened the door.

A clean scent overpowered Ren's nose as they entered his room. He sniffed around and scanned around as well. His white sheets were neatly arranged on his bed, window closed shut with the white curtains closed as always. His music stand stood folded next to the window, leaning on the pale blue walls. His mahogany desk was tidy as well, books neatly arranged and papers pressed and kept.

The small group stared in awe as they scanned their surroundings. "Are you sure we got the right room?" Tsuchiura remarked. "Not even my room is this clean!" Kahoko exclaimed as she checked the door again. Sure enough, there was a small sign that read Tsukimori Len in neat handwriting by the doorknob. "This way too clean, no wonder Tsukimori-kun always looks so tidy. It's like a girl's room!" Hihara laughed as Tsuchiura chuckled along with him. Ren growled at them for a moment, but Kahoko simply smiled before scooping him, gesturing her companions to follow her as they made their way down.

A little later, Kahoko was up in Len's room again. It was already past noon and Misa had told them they were free to look everywhere. She traced her fingers on the top of his desk and sighed. She was supposed to be looking for Ren who had disappeared while they were talking in the living room. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that he would be here as she looked up and down the room.

Ren was crouched down under his desk, not wanting to go to the Hino house again. '_I will find that fairy and demand a cure, so that they would stop worrying and they won't barge into my room again._' Suddenly, he smelled rose's dew. '_Yunoki-senpai?_' he questioned as the said senior made his way to Kahoko who was searching under the bed.

Kahoko stood up, feeling someone behind her, "Yunoki-senpai?! What are you doing here?" she yelped as tumbled onto the bed behind her. Yunoki chuckled slightly, "My, my Hino-san, you really are clumsy." Kahoko was laughing nervously.

Ren wondered, _'What was that all about?_' Then just as suddenly as he had arrived, he pinned Kahoko down on the bed and spoke in his dark voice, "I hate clumsy girls like you." Ren's ears perked up and he looked at the scene again. Yunoki's arms were on either side of Kahoko's face, his eyes holding a dark gleam. '_Y-Yunoki-senpai?!_' Ren thought in disbelief as he continued to listen to their conversation. "Why, oh why did you have to lose your dog, then I wouldn't have to help you people look for it." His face placed on a dark smile as he chuckled, "Well, I'll have to give you a punishment for misbehaving, my dear toy." He then swooped down, his long hair covering both their faces as Ren continued to stare on.

After a grueling 30 hours, Lili had finally found the book, but not the result he was hoping for. His trembling little hands dropped the thick book with a resounding echo throughout the library. His blue eyes held horror in them as he reread the page over and over again.

In order to reverse a spell that was placed by accident, the victim must then first chant the ritual (See page 1900), place in two locks of his hair and kill the fairy responsible for the curse…

It went on, but Lili was too afraid to read it any longer. He had also managed to gather that if Ren wasn't changed back to Len by two months, then he would stay like that forever. "What am I going to do, no da…" he pondered, scratching his head.

Author's Note: Whew, it's super hot here! I can't concentrate at all…sorry it took so long. Sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors. Hope you enjoy! Send me some suggestions on what you'd like to expect or how the next chapter should be. Reviews much appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5: Revealed

Puppy Love

Chapter 5: Revealed

Kahoko didn't know what had happened. One moment, she was pinned down on the clean white bed and the next thing she knew Yunoki was leaning down at a fast rate. She couldn't do anything as he had pinned her arms as well. He began reaching for her lips…she flinched, but it never happened. His lips went to her ear instead. He whispered, his breath drawing not so pleasant chills on her skin, "I think I've found your dog…will continue this some other time."

She noticed tiny growling beside him and later, a snarl as he almost pounced on Yunoki that was until Kahoko grabbed him and tucked him under her arm as Ren continued to bark and snarl. Yunoki gave the dog a dark look, but that didn't falter the barking and growling. The small dog's gold eyes were seeing red as Ren's jealousy rose up. Kahoko was having a hard time controlling the dog.

His anger flared up even more when the violet-haired man simply flipped a few locks of his hair before stepping out of the room with another reminder, "Until next time then." He did all this so gracefully that Ren couldn't help screaming, well, barking, "LIKE THAT WOULD HAPPEN!!!!!" He finally calmed down when Kahoko brushed his fur endlessly and soothingly whispered through his ear. He heard noises from below and several footsteps as they thumped like a drum before finally barging in the room.

Hihara and Tsuchiura stood on the door way, seeing Kahoko holding Ren up, while she grinned sheepishly as Ren's tail was straight, his eyes alert and ears continually piking up sounds while her hair was all messed up. "Kaho-chan, what happened?"

She scratched her head, "Um…I think Ren got scared of something." Picking this up, Ren turned to glare at her, startling her, '_Me? Scared? No way, no how._' Tsuchiura grabbed Ren, much to his dismay and helped Kahoko up, handing Ren to Hihara. Hihara quickly scurried down stairs to show everyone that they had finally found Ren. Meanwhile, Tsuchiura told Kahoko, "We need to talk…"

Screams could be heard as the roller coaster swooped up and down before finally making a stop as a few people could be heard simply laughing it off while the others were shaking or simply talking. "That was fun." Kahoko commented as she and her companion got off from their seats and walked to the exit, some kids running around them.

"Thanks for taking me here…Tsuchiura-kun." Kahoko said and thanked him again when he handed her a strawberry ice cream on a cone. The green-haired man smiled before telling her, "No problem, Hino." He himself began licking his chocolate ice cream. Kahoko was fiddling around with the cone, while they walked around the huge amusement park. "Um…Tsuchiura-kun…what did you want to talk about?"

Tsuchiura paused for a while before giving her a toothy grin, "That you should expect at the end of the day. For now, let's have fun." He shouted this as he began running and then he pointed to some of the rides. Kahoko smiled at him and shrugged before following him.

Kahoko clutched on to Tsuchiura's green shirt as he paid for the tickets to the Haunted House attraction. "Ts-Tsuchiura-kun, how about another ride?" she said, trembling. She really hated the haunted house. The last time she had been inside it was when she grabbed Len's arm by mistake and then, he extended his hand to her. "Why are you scared?" Tsuchiura teased, "Besides, I already bought the tickets…no use backing out now." As he said this, he was already pushing Kahoko through the doors as she started to scream lightly, "I DON"T WANT THIS!!"

Her heart was thumping so much she wondered if it would just burst her chest. Tsuchiura was still pushing her inside as she continued to drag her feet. It was dark and cold as the floors creaked underneath them. It was set as the typical haunted mansion. They heard screams from the front. Kahoko jumped and quickly dragged Tsuchiura through the first part. Somehow, this attraction reminded her of that one time Len extended his hand to her. Yet, here she was with her boyfriend, but she couldn't help and think of Len…

Something from behind touched her as she literally screamed and held onto Tsuchiura's arm. Strange, it was slightly cold. "Sorry about that Kahoko…" Tsuchiura apologized as he touched her back. She didn't flinch anymore, but if Tsuchiura was there, who was she holding? She looked up and turned pale before screaming as she glanced at the headless man she was holding by the arm. It was only a statue, but it freaked her out. She quickly grabbed Tsuchiura's hand, hearing him gasp before dragging him to the exit.

They were both panting when they came out. "That scared me…" Kahoko managed between breaths as she placed a hand over her heart. "I think scared is an understatement." Tsuchiura gasped, his body bent and his hands placed on his bent knees. Kahoko calmed down after a while then straightened out her white pants and light blue. She didn't know why, but the color blue seemed to get her thinking about Len. She shook her head. She was supposed to be thinking about her date right now. She was distracted when Tsuchiura poked her forehead and told her, "You're spacing out." She grinned sheepishly. The pianist pointed his thumb to behind him, and told her, "Let's go play at the booths." Kahoko laughed, "Definitely better." They laughed before walking over to play some of the games.

The big white teddy bear that Kahoko now held had a pretty blue bow with sparkling brown eyes and it was holding a small flower. She hugged it tightly, delighted. Tsuchiura chuckled beside her and told her, "Glad you like it." He stretched slightly, his hands clasped together as a few pops were heard. "But seriously, what was up with that game? That stupid hoop was too high." Tsuchiura continued as he started to do some arm stretches.

Kahoko laughed, "That's the purpose of the game…to make it difficult for the player."

"Difficult? Ha! You should've seen that guy's face when I shot all of those three balls through that hoop." Tsuchiura exclaimed, arrogant yet still joking at the same time. Kahoko giggled along with him. They proceeded to the exit of the amusement park where the attendant stamped on their wrists as they made their way out of the park.

"I had a wonderful time, Tsuchiura-kun…" Kahoko started before Tsuchiura turned to her. "I was going to tell you something…" Tsuchiura said, rubbing a large hand on the back of his neck. Kahoko noted that Len would usually brush his bangs aside. She canned the thought, why can't she stop thinking about Tsukimori-kun…

"Well…I think this date will be our last."

Brown eyes widened as they stared at Tsuchiura Ryoutaro. He scratched his head and laughed nervously, "It seems you like Tsukimori…" She blushed, and was about to speak, but Tsuchiura shushed her by shaking his head and placing a finger on her lips. "I know you may deny it now, but look at yourself now. You blush at the mention of his name and aside from his parents, you worry about him the most."

Kahoko paused and then she thought of it…before, "Kahoko, I'm telling you this from my point of view. Anyone can plainly see you care about him the most and that he's the most important person in your life." He gave her a small sad smile as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. Tsuchiura shrugged his brown coat off and put it around Kahoko. "I'll take you home." His voice resounded as Kahoko continued crying. She thought of all the emotion she had welled up inside her heart when she was around Len.

Regret…

Worry…

Jealousy…

Happiness…

Sadness… and

Love? That made her pause in her thoughts. Did she like Tsukimori-kun? She would always blush when she was touched or helped by him. She was constantly thinking about him and when he went missing, she wanted nothing more than to fin him. Her like towards him is different to her like towards her friends. Maybe she did like Tsukimori-kun and the, she felt relief and she smiled. Yes…she did like him.

"Hino…we're already here." Tsuchiura said. Kahoko blinked twice and indeed, her house was already in front of them. She bowed low, and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Tsuchiura-kun." She looked up to him again, tears were still flowing, but now she was smiling, "Thank you." She gave him a tiny peck on the cheek which made Tsuchiura blush.

"It's a break-up gift." Kahoko plainly said as she handed him back his coat, the white teddy bear was shaken as she held it for him to see. He accepted it before telling her, his head low. "Then at least, grant me to call you Kaho."

"Of course." She said, without even thinking. She made her way to the door and looked at him again. He already had his head up and she could see he was still blushing, she called, "Good night, Tsuchiura-kun and thank you." With that, she closed the door to her house, while Tsuchiura slumped on the nearby mailbox.

He rubbed his hand behind his neck and sighed, "You better come back to her, you fool." He stood up and dusted his pants and shouted inside his mind, "Why do I even bother? If he doesn't show up, I'll definitely take her back." And then, he started walking back home.

Kahoko plopped the teddy bear on her bed before jumping down on the sheets. Ren was still awake and he bounced up and down when Kahoko threw herself on the bed. Ren yelped when he fell on the floor. "Sorry, Ren!" she yelled and picked him up in her arms. She didn't put him back on the bed though, she just held him there. Ren titled his head towards the side, looking up at the girl hugging him. "I broke up with Tsuchiura-kun today," she murmured against his dark fur. "And," she continued, "I finally realized something." This caught his interest very much.

But she didn't continue and she settled him down on the bed. Ren was happy that she and Tsuchiura had broken up, but what had happened today? He was thinking about it as she made her way to the bathroom, grabbing her green pajamas before turning to Ren, and telling him, "We might be going back to Tsukimori-kun's house next weekend. Yunoki-senpai said, he might not be going though, so don't worry." She then shut the door and sighed, "Why the heck was I talking to my dog?"

Ren curled up beside Kahoko's pillow, slightly growling as she had reminded him of when they went to his house that one time. It had been a week since then. He was trying hard not to remember what had happen in his house. His room, even! He couldn't believe that what he saw at that time was the real Yunoki and judging from Kahoko's reaction, he seemed to do this very often. He couldn't believe the fact that he had lost his composure that same day.

Rage and jealousy consumed him that he forgot all about his mission to wait inside his room and an opportunity to speak with the music fairy once again. He bowed his head low as he lied back. He could hear the bathroom door creak and Kahoko had once again stepped out. Before he closed his eyes, this thought had crossed him.

'_I guess I do really love her…_'

The fairy panted as he made his way back from the fairy world. He rested against the marble statue and sighed, "I guess I'll have to tell Hino Kahoko today." He looked at the many students making their way towards Seiso Academy. He carefully examined each and every one of them. He had to make sure not to miss her this morning.

Kahoko was sighing as she made her way to the school. She was still tired from what had happened last night. She had minutes to spare before the bell rang anyway, so she lazily walked up to the gates. Seconds later, she had her face full with Lili was he bumped onto her face. "Lili, what the…?" she managed to exclaim before Lili burst into tears.

The phone ringing woke Ren from his slumber as he drowsily lifted his head just in time to see Kahoko's mom answer it. "Hello, Hino residence. Who is this?" The dog yawned before his head dropped back to its original position. Clearly, this conversation did not interest him until… "Ad? Oh, you're calling to answer the ad. Yes, we were already wondering if someone would ever answer that." A slight pause before, "Oh, you're saying that the dog that we're housing went missing a month ago? Yes. He's still here with us." She turned to look at Ren who was already standing. She smiled and was talking gain, "Yes. He seems excited to meet you again. Your name please?"

"Himura Tachibana, right? Okay, you can pick him later, Himura-san." She mumbled something into the receiver before she made her way back into the kitchen. Ren was still standing clearly shocked. '_Just who was that?_' seemed to float in his thoughts the entire time.

Kahoko and Lili were in a secluded part of the garden. She had finally managed to somehow calm the fairy down. "Now, what did you want to talk about, Lili?" Kahoko asked, the fairy was placed on her hand. He was still sniffing when he announced, "First of all," he paused to wipe his little nose before continuing, "Your dog, Ren is Tsukimori Len." Kahoko nearly squished the fairy as she laughed. "You have got to be kidding me!" she managed in between laughs before realizing the fairy's serious demeanor.

"That's the thing. I accidentally turned him into a dog when he bent my wand." He told her this as tears began to well up again. Kahoko had her mouth agape and said, "He can see you too?" He nodded, wiping another tear that was threatening to come out. "And in order to reverse the spell, he has to kill me!" Here he burst out crying as a new set of tears began to fall.

A doorbell rang inside the Hino household and Kahoko's mother quickly ran to get it. Ren peered curiously from the stairs. The man was in his 30's black hair was messed up slightly; he had slanted eyes which Ren guessed was black and he had a long but thin body. He wore a flesh coat, a contrast to his pale skin. On his right, there was a little boy with bright green eyes and brown hair as he looked nervously around the room.

Unlike the man he was with, the little boy's complexion was fuller and healthier. His eyes fell on Ren and his passive face immediately became bright, "Baron!" he exclaimed as he outstretched his arms to Ren. The two adults had stopped talking when they heard the boy. '_Who is this kid?_' Ren thought.

Author's note: Sorry, sorry, sorry ,sorry, sorry!!! The typhoon that hit here in the Philippines had our internet down for several days so I wasn't able to upload it until now. I had finished this last week and I finally figured the plot out. Sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors. It's just how I am. Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6: Secrets?

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro.

Chapter 6: Secrets?

Only the sound of the late bell filled their conversation as Kahoko stared on at Lili with huge brown eyes, while she tried to comfort him with a hand as he continued sobbing. Ren is Tsukimori-kun? The thought kept ringing inside her head. "Hino Kahoko, you're also crying…" Lili told her in between sobs as he wiped her wet cheeks as they both continued crying.

A pair of eyes watched them as the owner huffed angrily. The hazel eyes shifted to behind as the figure said, "Nuts, after all that trouble that I went through…it's still the same." A jar was behind as something inside was glowing and beside it, a golden mirror shined as it projected an image. The eyes gazed at it and murmured, "I guess I just have to wait."

Ren crouched as the boy rapidly approached him. He stepped back from him. He was cautious and on guard, but he didn't seem tense, no, instead he seemed happy as the little boy neared him. When the kid was at an arm's distance from him, his tail started to wag and he let out a happy bark as his dog instincts took over him.

He pounced at the boy and the boy shrieked with happiness as he cooed "Baron" over and over again. '_What's happening to me?_' Ren screamed inside as he felt his tongue liking the child. The adults chuckled as they watched the heartwarming scene. The strange man turned to Hino again and he bowed low as he told her, "My apologies, ma'am. This child's name is Tsubasa Sora. And Baron is his dog. I'm Himura Tachibana…the priest at the orphanage where the boy is staying."

The brown-haired mother gasped as she looked at Sora who was currently hugging Ren. The dog's golden eyes looked at the boy named Sora. Himura's voice continued on, "Baron ran away during his walk around the park. He just scampered off to some bushes, but we couldn't find him anymore and instead…"

Ren couldn't hear anymore of the conversation as the boy had run back to the red car waiting outside with Ren still in his arms, but not before interrupting the adults and thanking Kahoko's mom. Ren widened his eyes and almost whimpered out loud, _'what is he doing?!' _As soon as they reached the car, Sora closed the door and set Ren down. Ren started to panic and he started pawing the door as the boy simply sat there and stared at space.

"So anyway, Baron appears to be his parents' last gift before they died in a car crash." Himura told Mrs. Hino. She gasped again when he bowed low in front of her. He said, "I sincerely apologize if Baron was any trouble to you at all. We thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving Baron." Mrs. Hino smiled and said, "It isn't me you should be thanking. It's my daughter…she found Re…er….Baron one day."

He gave her a smile. The smile wasn't sinister looking, but it still startled Mrs. Hino. The man bowed again before finally leaving for the car. Inside it, Ren was placed on Sora's lap as the boy held him tight. Ren finally gave up struggling out of his arms as he settled down and groaned, _'How long is he going to hold me?'_ He watched the priest enter the car. He looked at Sora with calm, comforting eyes before he switched his attention to the ignition and started the car.

Something else caught his attention as the boy hugged him tighter when Mrs. Hino tapped on the car window. The priest rolled the window beside Sora down as she peered through the little boy's window. Sora shielded Ren from her sight as the older man apologized, "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. You see, he's afraid of you taking Baron back. Baron means the world to him." She smiled and said, "Don't worry, Tsubasa-kun. I only wanted to say goodbye to Baron."

Sora hesitated slightly before showing Ren to her. Mrs. Hino thanked him before telling Ren, "Goodbye. I'm so sorry Kaho couldn't see you off…Take care." Ren panicked when she mentioned abut Kahoko, he screamed in his head, '_Kahoko! What am I to do? I…_' He stopped and controlled his thoughts. '_I'm already calling her Kahoko…how impolite. Besides, I think she would be sad to see Ren go, but not Len._' He looked up at Sora and thought, '_This boy needs Baron's company…I may as well act out as his Baron.'_

When the car started moving away from the Hino household, Sora finally placed Ren down and this made Ren sigh, _'Kahoko will never know that Ren is Tsukimori Len_.' Ren, now Baron, moved off of Sora's lap to instead rest by his side. He was tired from that morning's events.

Kahoko smiled to herself as the teacher continued the lecture. She was mostly happy that she has finally found Len although she was kind of angry at Lili even if she did already know it was only be accident. Tsuchiura kept on looking at her, because he was worried about her. She had been spaced out since a while ago. The teacher had asked her to answer a question and she didn't know it. Even though she was laughed at, usually she would have her head bowed low, she just smiled slightly before settling back on her seat and staring out at window.

The mention of her name jolted her from her daze as she looked at the caller. "Tsuchiura-kun, what's the matter?" she said, blinking several times. Class was already over and she was in the middle of packing her books. "Kaho, you've been walking around like Shimizu since this morning." He said, sternly all the while crossing his arms. He leaned against the table beside Kahoko as he spoke again, "Did something happen?"

She froze when he had asked that. She looked at him like he had Lili dancing in his mouth. She paused to think of what to say_. 'Should I tell him that the music fairy of this school changed Tsukimori-kun into a dog and that same very puppy is living in my house and has slept in my room and…'_ Her face heated up so much she almost wondered if all her blood went into her brain.

She calmed herself down all the while with Tsuchiura still looking at her. Now, he was looking at her weirdly as she racked her brain out. _'First of all, he would probably kill Tuskimori-kun…but before that the fact that Tsukimori-kun changed into a dog is highly laughable and unbelievable. I mean, even I didn't believe it at first…does he even believe in Lili?'_

Kahoko finally sighed and settled for one answer. She scratched her head and grinned sheepishly at him before saying, "Well…let's just say I've finally found Tsukimori-kun." Tsuchiura's eyes widened at this and he exclaimed in disbelief, "What?!"

Baron was prodded awake by the noises of children and the click of the door car was heard. He was carried out of the car by Sora. Several children approached them as each of them was clamoring for the priest's attention, while Sora was pulled by a little girl and he was dragged into the playground. The priest looked at them with a small smile on his face as he returned to entertain the children.

Baron looked at the little girl that had dragged Sora. He observed her as she made a cute pout. She was a young girl with her red hair in two ponytails as she eyed Baron with her big blue eyes. "I don't know why…but Baron seems cuter now," said the girl as she carried Baron away from Sora. It was Sora's turn to pout as he crossed his arms.

From this view, Baron could now clearly see that his eyes weren't green, but actually blue. "Baron is still Baron and he's not cute, his stwong." Sora declared with his fist high in the sky. The girl sighed and shook her head, "It's strong, Sora. S-T-R-O-N-G." She had already placed Baron down as she explained.

Sora crossed his hands and stuck his tongue out at her when he said, "You're such a know-it-all, Kairi." She simply huffed and placed both her hands on her hips as she said, "And, what's wrong with that?" Sora sighed, while Baron thought as he looked at Kairi, '_What a haughty little girl…_'

Hihara had his mouth wide open and he had gone pale as the rest of the participants looked at him. "You do know that Hihara-senpai had been like that since Kaho told him about the BIG news." Tschiura told Fuyuumi as she worriedly looked at the green-haired trumpeter. The pianist looked at Yunoki and asked, "How long has he been like that?" The violet-haired man replied, "Five minutes…"

"Should we snap him out of it?" Kahoko asked as she poked Hihara. He felt like a statue. Tsuchiura scratched his head and shrugged before saying, "I guess we should…" Shimizu looked at Hihara with his half-lidded eyes and he said in his usual sleepy manner, "What's wrong with Hihara-senpai?" Everyone just stared at the absentminded blonde.

Kahoko smiled at Hihara who ranted out words that she couldn't understand as he talked to Shimizu who was still in a daze. Tsuchiura was walking beside her, mumbling to himself, while Yunoki walked alone with Fuyuumi in silence. Lili flew beside Kahoko as he whispered, "Is it a good idea to tell them, no da?" Lili had been given the permission to leave the campus as he acoompanied Kahoko to the Hino house to retrieve Len.

"I didn't tell them the complete story…I just told them that I had finally found Tsukimori-kun, and that I would explain it to them later when we meet up again at the school gates. But I haven't informed Misa-san yet." The little fairy nodded and told her, "Better not tell her just yet. She might have a heart attack."

The same set of eyes that had observed Lili and Kahoko were on them again. The tiny figure that owned them was setting a tantrum as it glanced once more at the objects behind them. "Why is he leaving?! He should have come crying to me," the figure said as it slumped on where it was sitting, grumbling. The figure complained, grumbled and bah-humbugged. Until it got an idea and dispersed into thin air, it brought the two mysterious object with it.

The group dispersed into two. The others were going home and they were to meet up at the Hino house. Kahoko walked along side the two green haired men. They walk in silence with the occasional mumble from someone in the group. The boys left Kahoko in her house and reminded her o the time. She nodded before opening the door, Lili now sitting on her shoulder.

She climbed up the stairs, seeing as how her mom was still on the phone. She went inside her room and shouted, "I'm home." She waited for Ren to bark and come over, but there wasn't any sign of the little pup. The fairy and Kahoko began to panic as they ran or for Lili's case flew, all over the place frantically searching for the pup.

Finally, Mrs. Hino put down the phone with a "I'll talk to you soon." She went upstairs to find that it was disarray as Kahoko stopped in front of her. "Mom, have you seen Ren?" she gasped, catching her breath. The older woman titled her head before saying, "Didn't I tell you about the ad?" Kahoko shook her head and asked, "What ad?"

"The one for Ren? I thought I already told you."

Her brown orbs widened as her mother continued, "Someone came and picked him up today. It was a darling little boy and a priest from the orphanage. He was…" Kahoko interrupted, "Mom, where is the orphanage?"

"What?" Her mother answered, clearly surprised and taken aback.

"Please, mom. Where is it? I need to find Ren….now." Kahoko repeated, desperation clearly laced in her voice. Mrs. Hino was dumbfounded at her daughter's worry and told her the address when Mrs. Hino had asked earlier when she wanted confirmation from the priest. Kahoko quickly ran out of the house with Lili right beside her. Mrs. Hino sat back on the chair and thought, _'Is there something wrong? I hope nothing happens…'_

"Sora left the orphanage with Kairi and Baron…" Himura told Kahoko, children's voices heard in the background. "Left?!" Kahoko repeated as she stood there, heaving. The pale man nodded and said, "The children left to go to the park. I left them in the care of a nun. She was more than willing to accompany them." He clasped his hands together, resting his chin on them. "I can see that you are a little too young to adopt, but please how may I help you?" He said this smiling as he unclasped his hands and placed them on the large desk in front of him.

Sora threw the Frisbee, wanting Baron to catch it. The dog simply sat beside them, simply refusing to catch it. _'I will not degrade myself to that level…even if these dog instincts are twitching to catch it.'_ He thought this, looking at the other direction away from the Frisbee. He heard both Sora and Kairi sigh as they finally placed down the Frisbee. Baron smirked, _'Success…' _

Kahoko ran from the church, but not before thanking the priest and getting the location. Lili panted beside her, but was still able to catch up. They rounded the corner and made a jump on a bench as they tried to find for Baron. The priest looked from the glass window as light started to surround the office. He murmured to himself, "I guess I should check on the other one."

Kahoko panted, stopping at the pedestrian lane. She caught her breath and looked in front of her. The park was so near now. All she had to do was cross it and talk to Sora. The light started beeping, signaling they can now cross. She ran again and finally crossed the park. She began her search as she called out his name, "Ren!"

Baron could have sworn his name was being called. Well, his old dog name anyway… He was with the children and the nun, buying ice cream. He shook it off and thought, _'Probably the wind…' _Sora was grinning from ear to ear as he eyed his chocolate ice cream, while Kairi was already licking her strawberry one. The nun was simply smiling as she talked and paid the vendor.

After a while, Kairi had already finished hers and was wiping her mouth with a tissue. Sora, on the other hand, was still maneuvering between the dripping ice cream and the ball he was holding onto. They had brought it with them for some fun. Kairi was holding Baron's blue leash with a new collar around his neck. _'Or should I say an old one?_' The collar was already worn out and the tag that read Baron on it had several bite marks.

Finally, beeping started again and people started walking. Sora was leading, running with the still dripping ice cream and the ball as Kairi sighed and held on tight to Baron's leash with the nun holding onto Kairi's hand. She called after Sora not to run to fast as they finally reached the other side.

All of a sudden, however, Sora's ball rolled out of his hand. He ran to get it, dropping the cone on the pavement. The nun noticed this and she shouted Sora's name, telling him it wasn't safe. She was about to say something else, but it all disappeared as a horrible scene unfolded before them. Kairi had also stopped whatever she was doing as her eyes widened.

Baron didn't think of anything else, but all he knew that he had jumped after Sora as soon as Kairi had let go of the leash. So, how come there was a dull pain on his side? He could hear screams and alarms, shouts and crying. The sudden scream of his names…

"BARON!"

"REN!!"

"LEN!!!"

He knew he heard a faint twink sound before he lost his consciousness.

The group sighed as they checked their watches. "Kaho's late again…" Tsuchiura remarked as he looked at his watch again. Hihara shrugged, looking at the pianist, "Kaho-chan will always be Kaho-chan…"

"Should we still wait? She's more than thirty minutes late…." Yunoki asked, sighing. Fuyuumi placed her hands over her heart as she prayed, "I hope Kaho-senpai is alright."

Author: Okay…I tried to finish this as soon as possible. Sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors. The story makes me a little dizzy, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. School is almost starting…bummer. I hope and pray that I can update this soon. In the latest chapter on mangafox, Kaho considers Len as the most important person to her. I think she likes him.  I've already placed a picture of Ren on my photobucket. Link is in my profile. It was drawn very quickly, so don't expect it to be good. I would appreciate it however if someone could color it. I'm typing as much as I can right now, so until next time. Ta ta for now.


	7. Chapter 7:The Truth

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro.

Chapter 7: The Truth

Beep…beep…beep…

'_Do I hear beeping or is it just in my head?'_

Beep…beep…beep…

'_No, I do hear it. It's making my head ache.'_

Voices started murmuring. Though he couldn't comprehend them, he could still hear that they were clearly human voices. The more he stirred awake, the more the voices became clearer and clearer.

"Doctor, I think he's waking up." A female voice said, while the fluttering of paper could be heard.

"Quick. Send his parents in." Another voice said, male this time.

'_My parents...Wait, MY parents?!' _He suddenly opened his eyes. The light of the room burned, but he was worried. _'I can't let them see me like this...' _he thought, sitting up on the bed, tossing the sheets in the process.

It hit him like a bullet as he realized that he was on a bed, he can sit up and more importantly he had hands. Human hands. He was sure he was dreaming, he must be dreaming. He pinched himself. It did hurt, but he was still human. He wasn't Ren or Baron anymore. He is the one and only Tsukimori Len.

"Len!" called Hamai Misa as she ran to hug him. He groaned not at the hug, but at the fact that his body felt like he had been asleep for months. His father said, slightly worried, "Dear, I think you should let go of him now. He needs his rest."

"Mother…Father, What happened?" He didn't know why or how, but they must know that by now that he- "Well, Len…the doctors and nurses say that you have been unconscious here for about two months. Somebody found you unconscious in the park and he called the hospital. Nobody knew who you were since you didn't have your ID with you."

"Wait…Mother, did you say park?" said Len, staring at his mother in complete disbelief. He was flabbergasted at the fact that not only was he told that he had been unconscious or two months, but his human body was found in the park as well?! What was going on?

Hamai was about to speak, but her husband silenced her by placing his hands on her shoulders. He smiled at his son before telling his wife, "Dear, I think we should leave Len alone for the moment to recall his thoughts." The light greened-hair pianist looked at her husband first before looking worriedly at Len. He nodded his head and gave his mother a small smile, "I'm fine." Hamai took one last glance at Len before leaving with her husband, his hand on the small of her back.

As soon as he heard the click of the door, he heard someone come in again as his footsteps clomped on the floor. Len looked at the stranger. He looked like he was in his late fifties with wrinkles here and there. He still had a crop of gray hair on his head with his white coat lazily placed around his shoulders. He had a tired look on his face, but he wore a smile.

The smile looked eerily familiar when he heard the swish of a wand on his left, he turned to look. It was Lili though it was odd because he had a huge smile on his face. He was surprised as well and blushed heavily when he saw Kahoko sleeping peacefully on the couch. Her head was on an arm and her hair was all over it. She was still in her uniform and only a small white blanket covered her from her shoulder to her waist.

"She had been taking care of you since you had that car accident," said the doctor, still smiling at Len. The azure-haired man tensed, while he gave him a glare though it did not faze the man at all. He started, "What car accident are you talk-?" He wasn't able to finish as his memory suddenly came back.

_Sora was crossing…he was about to be hit by a car…but Baron managed to jump in time to push him away…he got hit by the car instead._

He searched his body as the "doctor" examined the beeping machine that registered his heart beat. It was beeping frantically as Len was agitated, but it calmed down when he found no injuries or scars on his body. He looked questioningly at Lili who was humming lightly. He heard a poof where the doctor was. He looked to reveal that the doctor was replaced by Himura Tachibana.

"Himura-san?" he asked, blinking his eyes. No wonder the smile was so familiar. It was the same creepy, yet hardly threatening smile the "priest" had on right now. He cocked an eyebrow at Lili, but he was still singing some strange song happily. He sighed, deciding to ask Himura instead.

"Who exactly are you, Himura-san?" Len asked, his piercing gold eyes fixed on the pale man. He had wanted to ask other questions, but I just rolled out of tongue. The man still had that smile on his face as he walked over and pulled Lili by the wings, snapping him out of his daze. The fairy shook his head, and then he suddenly whined, "You didn't have to put me on hypnosis, Elder. No da."

Len whipped his head back at Himura as he changed yet again into a smaller figure. He looked like a fairy, but he had no wings behind him. Instead, a small cloud held him where he stood. He was slightly taller than Lili and he had a set of small twinkling eyes beneath his wrinkles. He had only a few strands of hair on his ancient head and had a long beard that reached to his feet. He wore a yellow robe and held a small stick. Though he had a beard, it wasn't enough to cover that ever familiar grin from the man.

The elder ruffled Lili's yellow hair with hand before bowing his head to Len. He introduced himself, "I'm the fairy of change. I can change into different forms as I please. I rule over the world of this young fairy along with a few others. I see you had a problem when you changed into a dog before…"

"But, according to that book, he would have to kill me in order to change back, No da!" Lili interrupted, swaying his hands in the air. Len gasped before glaring at Lili. He grabbed him with a hand when Lili had his guard down. "You think I have that bad of a heart?" Len said, still glaring at the music fairy. Lili began shivering again, while he cried, "He's going to kill me!" The violinist squeezed the fairy threateningly before letting him go as he fluttered behind the elder, crying.

Kahoko woke up when Lili suddenly screamed. She rubbed a sleepy eye before realizing that Len was already sitting up. She blinked again as she tried to fix her messy hair, catching Lili's attention. He hurriedly flew to her and cried in her arms. Then, she felt the presence of two more eyes bearing into her as she smiled sheepishly.

Len practically fainted when Kahoko suddenly smiled. He looked the other way, trying to refocus on the elder who had his attention on Kahoko. Len had a bright blush on his face as he cleared his throat, gaining the elder's attention. "You were saying about Lili dying?" He cast a sideward glance at Kahoko who along with Lili was listening to the elder as well.

The fairy of change coughed first before he explained, "Well, it is true that it was written in the book that the cure for such a deed would be to kill the fairy responsible." Kahoko felt Lili tense up in her hands as the elder continued, "However, this wasn't the case in this situation…" Before anyone could question, the fairy whipped his cane around and with a tiny puff of smoke, a bird cage appeared. Kahoko stood up from the couch and neared Len's bed to get better look at the bird cage.

Len didn't notice her and promptly placed a hand over hers when she had let go of Lili and placed her hand on the white sheets. Both blushed heavily. It lasted for a few more milliseconds before Len let go of her. "Sorry…" he apologized. Kahoko nodded, unable to speak. When Len wasn't looking at her anymore, she placed a hand over her madly beating heart. _'That bad, huh?'_ she thought as she looked carefully at the bird cage.

The color was a shade of silver as it was at the top and held by air. It had a pretty intricate design, but what caught her attention the most was the carved butterfly beside the cage. When the figure inside the cage moved, she realized that it was also a fairy inside.

The fairy had black translucent wings with a red dress. Kahoko figured that the fairy was a she as she had twin black buns on her head. She also wore red laced up ballet shoes. Kahoko wasn't able to see the fairy's face, because she had her head in between her propped knees.

Kahoko looked at Len to see that he was staring intently at the fairy. She took this time to observe him quietly. It has been o long since she last saw him. Those piercing gold eyes, that lovely blue hair and those tiny but worthwhile acts of kindness he had shown her before. She shook her head slightly, _'Nah. He can't like me the same way I like him…'_

Lili flew around the cage, examining the fairy, but as soon as he saw the trademark color of red, he exclaimed, "Lola!" The said fairy whipped her face to look at Lili, hazel eyes were twinkling in happiness. She flew higher to meet Lili, but Lili flew away from her and hid behind the elder again.

The elder pointed a finger towards Lula and said, "This is Lola. Her real name is Locelia. She is the fairy of mischief." Everyone nodded to this and Kahoko asked, "So, how does this involve her?" The elder sighed, shaking his head, "I'll have to show you." He used magic to levitate the mirror from the bottom of Lola's cage as she remained still and apparently was glaring at Kahoko.

The red head could feel the glare going through her, but she chose to ignore it as she looked at the mirror. The mirror frame was blue and the handle was gold. It grew as large as a closet mirror as an image began to form. The elder chanted,

_Mirror, mirror, who knows it all_

_The past, present and future_

_Run back to the time to that moment_

_When this foolish prank commenced_

_And befallen on these youngsters _

They began to look strangely at the elder and they all thought at the same time, _'Just what the heck was that spell?'_ Len looked at the door and began wondering, _'Why hasn't anyone bothered checking what's taking so long?'_

A yawn echoed throughout the quiet hallway. Another fairy sat on top of one of the chair rests. It looked almost identical to the elder except it was wearing a purple robe. He sneezed first before clutching onto his stick. "That stupid brother of mine has better give me those cherries when we're through here. Freezing time isn't exactly that nice." He complained as he flew around again.

_Lili tugged on Len's sleeve as he took his first step. "Wait!" Len stopped and turned around, gripping him with his hand. With a vein clearly popping on his temple, he looked at Lili. "What?" he asked him angrily. Lili flew away from his hand and checked his bent wand. He looked angrily at Len, "Look at what you did with my wand. No da!" _

"Hey, Lola's there, No da!" Lili exclaimed as he pointed a little left to the screen where indeed Lola was grinning slightly as she pointed her wand at the two. Kahoko shook her head and sighed, _'Unbelievable. So that's how Tsukimori-kun bent Lili's wand, but why was he so angry?'_

_He waved the wand in front of Len for emphasis. Lili glared at Len and prepared to leave with the usual waving when he accidentally pointed it to Len instead. "Huh…?"_ _A cloud of smoke and sparkle surrounded him and Len noticed himself growing smaller and smaller until he was on all four paws_

Kahoko laughed nervously, _'And that's how Len turned into a dog…'_ The elder pointed to the screen as he said, "Look closely at this." He pushed a button on the handle and it rewound slightly. _'The handle works as a remote?'_ Len thought, disbelieving. It was in slow motion they clearly saw that Lili's wand didn't make any noise; Lola's did as she pointed her wand at Len.

They all turned to look at Lola who was pouting in her cage. Lili flew up and asked, "But, then Tsukimori Len should kill Lola in order to reverse back, right?" The elder shook his head before he said in matter-of-factly voice, "Wrong again. The truth is she used a soul swapping spell. She swapped Baron's and Len's souls except she stored the dog's soul in that jar beside her."

The elder went near Lola and pointed to the large jar before going to Lili and hitting his head his cane. "And you should know this better than anyone. You learned this in school, Lili." He said, hitting the blonde fairy's head. His purple eyes were brimming in tears as he whined, "That's hurts! No da, and besides, how would I know?"

Len could have sworn he saw a vein pop from the old man as hit Lili again. The mirror was on pause to the moment when Len was already changing. The fairy of change held up a finger as he said, "Number one, when people get changed, their clothes don't magically disappear." He held up another finger and continued, "Number two, he didn't morph. Those that you change will slowly morph in front of your eyes." Before he could finish, Len had interrupted.

"Excuse me, but what had happen to Baron?" He was slightly concerned of the dog and most importantly, Sora and Kairi, who had witnessed the accident. The elder smiled at him and said, "Not to worry. Baron' fine though he did suffer some injuries. Really now, you should've taken better care of that dog's body. It isn't yours after all." The elder scolded him just like that as Kahoko stifled a laugh.

Len blushed heavily before glaring at the eldest fairy. The fairy ignored the glare and turned his attention back to Lili. "You, young fairy, will be going back to school after this." He pulled Lili by the ear and flew over to Lola and said, "And you, young lady, will be getting a punishment for this mess. Lola uncrossed her arms, panic written on her as she flew up to the bars.

"That's no fair! I only did this, because I wanted Lili to notice me. If he had wanted the swap, he could have just come to me." Lola protested, while Lili blushed. The elder shook his head and said, "But, you didn't know that he didn't the difference between a swap and a morph." He said to Lili, "Shame on you." He focused back on Lola and asked, "Why did you swap the souls of Baron and this young fellow?"

She sniffed, "He wasn't my target. Lili would always be Hino Kahoko, so I didn't expect him, but when I noticed it, I already swapped them and Lili was gone."

Everybody blinked in disbelief as Kahoko repeated, her finger pointed to herself, "Me?" The black-haired fairy glared at her as she fumed, "Yes, you! Because of you, Lili always wants to play with you and ignore me. I like Lili more than you do! I like Lili more than anyone else."

The fairy clamped her mouth as she bowed her head in embarrassment. Lili was blushing madly, while the elder was simply smiling. Kahoko retorted, "Lili doesn't like me THAT way, Lola-chan!" The said fairy glared at her as the elder explained, "She's a hundred and ninety four years older than you."

Kahoko quickly changed her sentence, "Lola-san, I don't like Lili that way either. Besides, I like someone else…" she trailed, eyeing Tsukimori, who was completely oblivious, behind her lashes.

Lola blinked as she eyed Kahoko and Len back and forth. She grinned devilishly, completely recovered, but before she could speak the fairy of change had already whisked her cage away with a still blushing Lili in tow and left the two teenagers to sort things by themselves.

Kahoko was also blushing as she continued looking down on the floor. Len was wondering what she meant by she liked someone else. He knew it couldn't be Tsuchiura since they had already broke up. Could it be Yunoki?

The door creaked open to reveal the other fairy outside. He was ranting as he checked the room, saying something about his brother leaving him. He bowed and introduced him quickly, "I'm Chronos, the fairy of time. I better catch up to my brother and don't worry time will flow regularly again when I leave." He opened a portal as he left.

'_They were paused?!_' the teenagers thought at the same time as they looked at the cheery face of Hihara his hand about to reach the door. It looked kind of funny to them.

"By the way, Lili, a cure to a morph would just be a kiss from the opposite gender or you can just buy a potion in the Fairy Mart." The elder said this, while he held a bottle of blue liquid. The fairy paled and he screamed, "What?!"

Author: The next chapter would be the last. I enjoyed writing it and I hope enjoy reading as well. This chapter is slightly confusing and yes, there are so many fairies. I decided to make my own hehehe. School is almost starting, sigh. Sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors! I really wanted to finish this before school started so it's a little rushed.


	8. Chapter 8: Ave Maria Confessions

Puppy Love

Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro.

Flashback: _italic_

Chapter 8: Ave Maria Confession

It was a cold and windy night. That's what Len had thought when he stepped out for a breath of fresh air that evening. He didn't think that he had needed a blanket that night although he did wear a sweater. He sneezed, the sweater obviously not warm enough. He didn't want to go back to his room and get a blanket. After all, he really didn't want to talk to anybody.

He recalled the words of that old geezer who left them with that blasted music fairy. He sighed, still not totally understanding his situation before. He stepped further into the cold night. He was currently on the rooftop of the hospital he was staying. The thin white pajamas he wore provided no warm to him as he sneezed yet again. He scolded himself to never do something as dumb as this again, but he still didn't want to go down.

He rested against the railing, flinching slightly from the cold. He crossed his hands and leaned on them. His azure hair swayed with the incoming breeze, the white sheets behind him fluttering as well. He focused on what had happen a while back when the fairies had finally left.

_Hihara Kazuki blinked slightly and realized that the door had already opened. He cocked his head in confusion, but shook it off and went in to greet Len and Kahoko. Although he wasn't really close with this particular kouhai, he was also as worried about him. He had started ranting his head off to Len, who just sighed in disbelief at his so-called sempai._

_Yunoki Azuma didn't really know what to feel for the blue-haired violinist. He simply knew that Tsukimori had feelings for Hino and vice versa. He smiled to himself; maybe he can do something to put them finally together. Nevertheless, he approached Len with fake worry as he asked what had happen to him. _

_Shimizu Keiichi glanced at Fuyuumi Shouka who looked genuinely relieved at the fact that their missing sempai has finally been found and is out of harm's way. He was actually surprised that Tsukimori had only been here in the hospital near their school. He looked blankly at the scene of Tsukimori surrounded with the third years and Kahoko near them. He looked again at Fuyuumi who was now by the redhead's side._

_Fuyuumi could feel the cellist's gaze on her as she blushed. Kahoko had asked her what I she was feeling okay. She simply stuttered that she was fine. She placed the fruit basket that Shimizu had carry for her. Sometimes, she wondered if he had feelings for her the way she had for him. She shook her head and blushed like crazy again. She looked at Hamai Misa as she stood with her husband by the side._

_Tsukimori's mother sighed in relief as her husband intertwined their fingers together. She was worried half to death when her son went missing before. He would usually call if he was going to be late or if he would stay somewhere, although this has never happened before. She wondered what had made Len lose his consciousness for about two months. The doctors said that nothing was wrong with him. No scars, no injuries, no nothing. It was still a mystery to everybody. She made a sideward glance at the lone boy who refused to approach his rival._

_Tsuchiura Ryoutaro could describe himself in one word. 'Stubborn, that's what.' He said to himself. He leaned against the wall where he was standing. He was relieved and irritated at the same time. He was relieved for some reason that Tsukimori was alive and irritated at the fact that he was about to lose to Tsukimori again. 'That is,' he thought, 'if Hino will say something to him…'_

_Kahoko looked longingly at Len, oblivious to this as he entertained Hihara and Shimuzu. She was sure though that Yunoki caught this as she saw him smiling to himself. She herself wondered when she would finally have the guts to confess to her "puppy". She laughed inside, 'It seems funny saying that right now…' She looked at Len again as their eyes made contact._

_Len blushed as they both looked away from each other. He had butterflies in his stomach again. He still showed his aloof self to his fellow concour participants as they laughed and interacted with him. He was surprised at himself when he felt disappointed of everyone was going to leave for the day. He was most disappointed when Kahoko promptly excused herself and left along with them._

His parents had told him that Hino had been at the hospital since she notified them that he was in there. His head sunk into his arms as he sighed. It had been too long since he felt this feeling again. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to increase every time he simply imagined her face. He still didn't know why she had broken up with Tsuchiura. He did get slightly irritated that his rival can openly call her Kahoko while he was only left in his mind to say that name.

"Tsukimori-kun?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard that voice. He swiftly turned his head around and he could have sworn that his neck popped all through out. "Hino..?" He nearly lost his breath as indeed Kahoko stood before him with her violin case in one hand, a blanket on her arm and his blue violin case and school bag with her.

She placed her violin on the floor before approaching Len who quickly responded and approached her as well. Like the gentleman that he was, he helped her carry his case and bag as he quickly grabbed it from her arms. She sighed in relief, flushed from the cold night. She gave him a small smile of victory before he turned away and blushed.

She looked away, blushing as well. Only the freezing blast of wind covered their conversation as she looked at the bright city lights under the hospital. It looked fascinating and beautiful. She would have continued to look on if she didn't feel his intense gaze, simply staring at her. She knew that she had gotten both his book bag and violin from Lili sometime today, but an unanswered question still lingered.

"Hino-san, why did you come back?"

It was a blunt and straightforward question. It should also have a solid answer and yet, Hino simply blushed and looked away. She didn't exactly what drove her out of the comfort of her warm home to this the freezing Siberian like wind of the outside world. She directed a quick glance at her cerulean haired companion and somehow, the answer surfaced as she tried with courage to say it.

"Because…I wanted to see you…Tsukimori-kun."

Len did a double take. He wasn't expecting that and neither did she ever think that those words would ever slip from her lips. He could've sworn Hino's face was as bright as his…if not, even brighter. Never in his dreams had he ever expected Hino Kahoko to say words like that. His heart pounded like crazy against his ribcage.

She could feel the blood rise fast against her cheeks. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. There was no backing out now. She approached violin case which she had left by the door and opened it with two tugs. She brought out the brown stringed violin and looked at Len. "Please listen to me play, Tsukimori-kun. I know you can't stand mistakes and imperfection, but please listen."

She didn't wait for his answer and readied into her stance as she held the violin under her chin. She breathed in before she pulled the bow and notes began to pierce through the freezing night.

Len closed his eyes and let the music fill him as a strange enough warm air emitted from her direction. It was her favorite, Ave Maria. He reopened them as he realized there was something different about the piece. What was this feeling she was showing him?

Hate? Pity? Jealousy? No, it wasn't negative it couldn't be.

Care? Hope? Happiness? No, it was something deeper.

Then he realized it. It was love.

She was playing for him with such love and vigor, because she loved him. She loved him as much as he did…if not even more. He didn't hesitate another second as he placed his violin on the cold floor, unclasped the lock and steadied the violin under his chin, then at the right moment, started playing as well, complimenting her music with his.

She was startled at first, but slowly, she let herself drift along with the music. She knew that Tsukimori had understood what was conveying to him and she knew this was his response. She could feel it in his music…his feelings for her. Yes, he loved her as well.

She could feel the tears flowing out from her eyes as the song ended. It was touching as she clasped the violin to her chest and Len walked over to her, smiling for the first time in weeks. He settled his precious violin back to its case before he went over to Kahoko who still had her violin clasped tightly in her arms.

He embraced her gently as she let the tears flow out freely. His lips neared her ear as he whispered his love for her over and over again. After a while, she calmed down. At this time, he tipped her chin, so as she was looking at him and gently he placed his lips over hers, sealing in a sweet kiss.

She smiled after the kiss, draping the blanket that she had brought around them as they huddled together for warmth. He kissed her forehead, now they were in pure bliss.

It has been 3 weeks since that happened. When he came back to school, he was the talk of the campus. From the rumors he heard flying or better buzzing around him, his absence ranged from the common runaway to a family trip even to a music contest that was held aboard and he lost. Of course, he proved them otherwise.

He was waiting by the school gates for Kahoko who had wanted to talk to Kanazawa about the upcoming music festival. He rubbed his temples together and sighed. He had loads of assignments to do after his absence…can't the world just give him peace? He was snapped out from his thoughts when a warm appendage on his cheek.

Kahoko giggled as she watched him blush. "Let's go home." She said this with a cheeky smile before his lips landed on hers. She blushed delicately and before she knew it, the kiss was over. She was relieved that nobody was around anymore.

They held hands as they made a small detour to the park. As they sat on the bench, a dog came over to them. He had dark blue fur and gold eyes. Even Len had to admit that he was cute. He looked over at Kahoko who just looked simply stunned. She pointed to the dog, "Isn't that…you?"

He blinked and said, "Come again?"

She started stuttering and she explained, "It…it's when…ah…his name is…" she was interrupted when someone called out, "Baron!"

Len blinked again as he finally realized what she meant. This was what he looked like when he was still inside that dog. He never really found out how he looked as a dog. He stared at the dog who stubbornly refused to go to its master as they simply stared at each other.

Kahoko was confused at this certain scene…it was awkward. Two persons bounded over as they stopped in front of them panting. One had brown hair and the other had red hair. The brown-haired male said as he scooped the dog in his arms, "I'm really sowy for…Hino-san!" He paused midway as the red-haired girl shyly waved at them. "What aw you being so shy about, Kairi?" he asked as the dog wiggled in his arms.

Kahoko rolled her eyes. This boy, Sora, is obviously still clueless at his age. The girl blushed before shaking her head and she barked back at Sora, "N-Nothing. We've got Baron, so let's go. Father Riku said that he would be introducing two new orphans. I think their names were Roxas and Namine."

She began dragging him by his t-shirt as he grinned back at Kahoko and Len. "See ya again." He said before scrambling to his feet and arguing with Kairi as they heard him say, "What is up with you?"

"Don't you think that the man Hino-san was with was cute?" came Kairi's reply.

And then they could only hear muffled voices and a bark from the children's direction. The couple looked at each other before they laughed. Kahoko clasped her hands together and cooed, "Don't you think those two were adorable?"

Len hummed his reply and she teased, "Len has an admirer." She giggled when Len turned another shade of red and a vein popped out. She grinned and kissed his temple. She grabbed his hand and announced, "Let's go home."

Len smirked, kissing her hand before getting up from the bench. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "At least, I know I'm loved." Kahoko nudged him on the arm and she said, while blushing, "Oh shut up."

The two walked out of the park and they knew that somehow their love was strong and real, not just some puppy love.

---End---

Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry for the late update and for the stupid chapter. I wanted to finish and place this on my birthday, but since it's our exams I needed to hurry. Yes, today is my birthday, July 30. ~~ Sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you so much for reviewing and reading my fic.


End file.
